Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine includes styles originating from the diverse regions of China, as well as from Chinese people in other parts of the world including most Asia nations. The history of Chinese cuisine in China stretches back for thousands of years and has changed from period to period and in each region according to climate, imperial fashions, and local preferences. Over time, techniques and ingredients from the cuisines of other cultures were integrated into the cuisine of the Chinese people due both to imperial expansion and from the trade with nearby regions in pre-modern times, and from Europe and the New World in the modern period. In addition, dairy is rarely—if ever—used in any recipes in the style.

History

Chinese society greatly valued gastronomy and developed an extensive study of the subject based on its traditional medical beliefs. Chinese culture initially centered around the North China Plain. The first domesticated crops seem to have been the foxtail and broomcorn varieties of millet, while rice was cultivated in the south. By 2000 BC, wheat had arrived from western Asia. However, these grains were typically served as warm noodle soups instead of baked into bread as in Europe. Nobles hunted various wild game and consumed mutton, pork, dog, and beef as these animals were domesticated. Grain was stored against famine and flood and meat was preserved with salt, vinegar, curing, and fermenting. The flavor of the meat was enhanced by cooking it in the fat of a different animal.

American Chinese cuisine

American Chinese cuisine, known in the United States as simply Chinese cuisine, is a style of food developed by Americans of Chinese descent and served in many North American Chinese restaurants. The dishes typically served in restaurants cater to American tastes and differ significantly from Chinese cuisine in China itself. Although China has various regional cuisines, Cantonese cuisine has been the most influential regional cuisine in the development of American Chinese food.

History

Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States due to the high demand for miners and railroad workers. As large groups of Chinese immigrants arrived, Chinatowns began to emerge in America where immigrants also started their own small businesses, including restaurants and laundry services. In the 19th century, Chinese in San Francisco operated sophisticated and sometimes luxurious restaurants patronized mainly by Chinese, while restaurants in smaller towns (mostly owned by Chinese immigrants) served what their customers requested, ranging from pork chop sandwiches and apple pie to beans and eggs. Since the beginning, Chinese restaurants were opened by Chinese immigrants and many of them were self-taught family cooks who improvised on different cooking methods and ingredients. These smaller restaurants developed American Chinese cuisine where they modified their food to suit a more American palate. First catering to miners and railroad workers, they established new eateries in towns where Chinese food was completely unknown, adapting local ingredients and catering to their customers' tastes. Even with new flavors and dishes, these Chinese restaurants have been cultural ambassadors to Americans.

Chinese Food (song)

"Chinese Food" is a song by Alison Gold. It was released on October 5, 2013, by PMW Live. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart at number 29, selling 1,000 downloads and being streamed on YouTube five million times for the week ending October 20, 2013. As of October 20, it had not been reported to be played on any radio stations in the United States.

Background

Patrice Wilson, who had a passion of eating Chinese food ever since he was 7, wrote the song about it on his birthday in 2012. Wilson, explaining his inspiration for writing the song, stated: "There's a restaurant I go to, they have chicken wings, they have beef with broccoli, that’s what I love. The song is based on my experience—what I know about Chinese food."
The song's beat samples Starfire by Dave Kurtis.

Music video

The music video for "Chinese Food" was released on October 14, 2013. It was filmed partly in a Mongolian restaurant, because a Chinese restaurant could not be booked, while some other scenes were shot in Gold's bedroom. It was viewed almost one million times within 24 hours of being uploaded to the video sharing site YouTube, attaining an estimated 4:1 ratio of dislikes to likes and drawing comparisons to another poorly received Patrice Wilson production, "Friday" (2011) by Rebecca Black. Wilson himself appears in the "Chinese Food" video wearing a panda suit.